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University appoints new Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities

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Posted on Monday 9 October 2017

The University of York has appointed Professor Judith Buchanan as Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities.

Professor Buchanan, who has been the Interim Dean of the Faculty since January and is the current Director of the Humanities Research Centre, will take up her position immediately.

She takes over from Professor Mark Ormrod, who retired earlier this year and who served the University with distinction for 27 years.

Judith said: “The Arts and Humanities Faculty at the University of York is both a notably high-performing community of teachers and researchers and a significantly collegial one.

“Our staff and students are excellent and it is a significant privilege to have been asked to lead the faculty at a moment when the voice of the Humanities into a febrile world has never been more needed.”

Professor Buchanan came to the University of York in 2000 from a Senior Research Fellowship at the University of Oxford.

She was appointed Professor of Film and Literature in the Department of English and Related Literature in 2011.

She has an academic background both in early modern literature and in the study of film and is a leading authority on Shakespearean performance histories and on silent cinema.

She has worked extensively with external partners in the cultural and creative sectors and has a vision for the University both as a place of scholarship and as a community integrally engaged in our various communities beyond.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Koen Lamberts said: “I am delighted to announce the appointment of Judith as Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities.

“The Faculty has a proven track record in achieving research excellence and delivering outstanding teaching to our students.

“In the last Research Assessment Exercise, half of our arts and humanities departments were placed in the top five in the UK in their respective disciplines.  

“In her distinguished career, Judith has demonstrated leadership and vision both within and beyond the University and I look forward to working with her as Dean.”

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